Author Archive

The profession of the photographer has changed dramatically with the rise of digital photography and especially with smartphone cameras documenting our everyday life snap by snap. The ability of creating images has become somehow secondary. Nowadays outstanding photographers are rather conceptual artists that know how to translate the medium of photography itself into an outstanding piece of art by deeply analyzing social and anthropological dynamics.

More and more photographers became interested in creating work reflecting social media and especially dating apps where everybody uses photography as an act of self representation and key selling point on the meat market. Photographer Andrea Lavezzaro caught our interest with her project “It’s a match”.

Over a year she scouted Tinder users in Berlin. No matter the shape, size, gender or if they were strange, sexy or surreal. Her focus was on capturing the diversity of our city. Every picture was taken at the location where she met her matches (all aware she was doing a photography project of course). The only rule her subjects had to follow while taking their portrait was: no posing allowed. The results are now featured in an exhibition at Gallery Ori in Neukölln that runs until this Saturday. We had a little chat with Andrea about her project and how it will continue in the future. Read on after the jump.

There are certain streets in Berlin-Schöneberg that are mostly known for representing gay culture from the 70s to the 90s. Still, the Motzstraßen-Kiez attracts gay tourism and leather lovers from all over the world, especially to certain events like Folsom.

But what took me by surprise last week, was that exactly there, in the middle of the heart of gay Schöneberg, there was a culinary pearl that would teach me new secrets and wonders of the Italian cuisine. Located on Fuggerstraße 27, Trattoria a’ Muntagnola run by Pino and his wise mother Angela is a true Italian classic in Berlin.

Even though the interior is truly inspired by Italian exaggeration the food you will taste there can easily beat that of many star restaurants. On the occasion of the Berlinitalienisches Tomatenfest – a culinary festival organized by True Italian all about authentic Italian recipes with tomatoes, we had the chance to try out soem gems of their incredible menu.

We want give you a little preview of what you can expect and show you the map of this special food festival where you can participate and enjoy special recipes for a great price.

Using the metro for the first time, kissing a stranger on the dance floor, sitting on the roof and gazing at the city, when the sun rises; these are all moments, which Berliners and especially those of us, who have moved to the city, associate with, when it comes down to our beloved metropolis. One knows very well, that no matter how exciting other capitals might be, this feeling of curiosity, freedom and adventure can only be found in its purest form here.

Through Priceless® Berlin we had the opportunity to recommend you a variety of special places and moments. However, every one of you has a collection of special experiences, which belong to their very personal Berlin moments; and because these moments can vary for every person, I wrote down my own top three Berlin-Highlights, as I wanted to share them with you.

Don’t let yourself be fooled by the November clouds transforming Berlin into desaturated place. Our city is full of colors, but you might not see them at the first sight.

What might help you is this stop motion collage short film Berlin Classified by Julien Patry. Step by step he collected footage of small and maybe unappealing objects and connected them by their colors, shapes and functions. It makes up a perfect narrative about the colors and shapes of Berlin.

The french Berliner AXL OTL contributed a very nice electronic track to this piece of art!

In Berlin nobody needs to be a princess or prince to feel special. Because once in a while we can all dress up and go to a ball. A ball where you don’t want to feel pretty or cute, but fierce and powerful instead. Showing your best moves to serious judges and maybe become a legend one day.

You have no idea what fairy tale I am talking about? About Berlin Voguing Out and their Incrediball of course!

Last Friday night we entered the halls of HAU2 for the voguing event of the year. Contestants from all over Germany and also from other parts of the world challenged each other in several voguing categories. If you are not familiar with this particular dance style from New York, which is routed in the queer black and latino subculture you should have a look at the documentary Paris is Burning about the original voguing ballroom scene in New York.

Here in Berlin we are pretty lucky to have the amazing House of Melody lead by Georgina Leo Melody, who made voguing so incredibly popular in Berlin. The House of Melody is not only organizing the Berlin Voguing Out Festival but also many other events and workshops around this dance culture. To give you a little taste Alicia Kassebohm took some pictures for you to enjoy all the beauty and fierceness of the Berlin Voguing scene. More after the jump.

Adapting to the Berlin Winter can mean a lot of things. For me personally, Winter is not only about suffering absurd weather conditions but also to take the opportunity to learn new things. After all Summer in Berlin is way too distracting to do so.

But instead of going to Volkshochschule to a Photoshop course or taking a French class, this year I learned how to create some of the best Whiskey cocktails ever. Not bad, huh? One of the finest American Whiskey brands Woodford Reserve invited us to meet and learn from two bartending superstars. At Bar Convent Berlin we met one bartender from Le Titty Twister in Paris and one bartender from Herzog in Munich. They personally showed us how to create two of their favorite Whiskey drinks and we made notes for you to copy

Especially in this dark month of the year I love Whiskey drinks with a tangerine scent. They give me a feeling of comfort, like sitting in front of a stove or a fireplace and listening to the sound of the wind outside making the trees rustle. Perfect for the rest of Autumn I would say. The whole recipes and many pictures after the jump.

Tarot cards, zodiac signs or Turkish coffee cups won’t tell me how to find the perfect boyfriend in Berlin or a job or a flat. None of these ancient traditions can be used as a measurement of destiny here in this town. Because when you live in Berlin the normal rules don’t apply. You have to create your own faith no matter what. And sometimes this faith will bring you to strange places like the darkrooms of Berghain.

Some visitors might not see the magic that is spelled all over the former heating station situated in Friedrichshain. Others cannot let go of all the energy of this place and have to go there over and over again, no matter how nerve-wrecking the line and the door situation might be. And last but not least a third group uses this place as a fertile ground for imagination and creative work.

Our friend and comrade in numerous adventures Nicola Napoli was able again to translate his vision of Berghain in a unique art work. For the October 2016 flyer he created a set of incredible Tarot cards that display the classic symbols of the Tarot mysticism as Berghain visitors.

After the jump you find all the cards he created. Also you can buy three of the motives as exclusive art prints in his web shop.

The creativity resulting out of the Berghain experience seems to have no limits. Over the last years we nearly saw everything: a bird house in the shape of Berghain, necklaces in the shape of Berghain, all sorts of illustrations and guides, music videos starring a fake Sven Marquardt and last but not least even an animated online game which works like a virtual trainer on how to get in.

And we don’t even feature all the things that happen to be in shape or referencing to Berghain. We could fill a whole blog just about it, but we rather be called iHeartBerlin than iHeartBerghain, right? Jokes aside, the new card game called Berghain ze Game is actually incredibly hilarious that it’s worth to be the 1001th post about the infamous club.

In this card game you finally get the chance to play the feared door men Sven Marquardt and select between the guests including Hipsters, Gimps, Bloggers, Fag Hags, College Kids, Narcs, Bears, Cubs, Stoners, Club Kids and lots more.

This strategic game is not launched yet, but will soon start a Kickstarter campaign where you can for sure buy one as your most beloved and not so family friendly Christmas present. Until the release we have more images and some featured cards for you to check out and laugh about it after the jump.

What kind of relationship can you have to this city when your own family had to flee from Berlin?

A really difficult question to answer from my perspective. Even though we all have dealt extensively with the Holocaust and its consequences, having a real encounter with descendents of parents or grandparents who had to leave Germany can become an emotional tour de force.

The author Andrea Stolowitz is such a descendant. Her great-grandfather, Dr. Max Cohnreich, had to escape from Berlin in 1936 and started a new life in New York. For his children and grandchildren, he wrote a diary about his life in Berlin.

In 2015 Andrea visits Berlin to explore the life of her great-grandfather through his diary. An exciting and true story that has now premiered as a theatrical play on the stage of the English Theater Berlin. We talked to all the people participating in the creation of the piece. Each one has given us a piece of their personal Berlin Diary…

Vintage and nostalgia are common hobbies for Berliners who love to remember and dwell in the good old times of the turbulent but also radiant history of our beloved city.

Besides the love for good vintage fashion and design there is probably no other passion ranking so high lately than oldtimer cars. But it’s actually silly to call it a revival. As long as I can remember everybody stopped and watched in amazement when a vintage automobile passed by on the streets of Berlin. Like a time machine they throw our imagination back to the past. To an era where artisanal work and industrial design perfection were working hand in hand.

The perfect chance to discover the most awesome oldtimers in Berlin is the upcoming fair Motorworld Classic. Inside the enormous and beautiful fair building from the 30s in the West of Berlin, you will be able to discover everything related to classic cars, young timers, connoisseur-cars, motorbikes and many curiosities. Taking place from October 6th to 9th 2016, this second edition of the oldtimer fair will bring plenty of amazing automobile history highlights to Berlin.

Classic car clubs and private sellers will present and sell their products there. Many chances for awesome photos with the best of automobile design history awaits you.

After the jump we collected some of the highlights of this special event in pictures.